Like all Jews and people of peace around the world, we are deeply relieved at the news of a ceasefire. It is crucial that the cycle of violence in Gaza does not simply recommence. Our hope is that this ceasefire marks the rebirth of negotiations towards a Palestinian state and peace. The human toll in lives lost and damaged does not allow any other outcome.

During this terrible conflict in Gaza, we wait with hope not just for a pause to the immediate hostilities but for a permanent end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We continue to mourn for the civilians and Israeli soldiers who have been killed and fear for those still in the line of fire.

All over the country the situation is tense. In Israel, sirens can be heard from southern Israel to Nahariya. But, even when the rockets are landing all around, Shatil, NIF’s capacity building and advocacy arm, is continuing its important work. Here is an interview with Sultan Abu Abaid, head of the Shatil branch in Beer Sheva, on how the staff are managing to do their work while under fire.

Given the military confrontation between Israel and Hamas, which came on the heels of unprecedented incitement and tension between Jewish and Arab Israelis, the New Israel Fund stands ready to fund projects through our Emergency Grant Program

Following our "Israel Refocused" newsletter yesterday, terrible news came through of a further escalation of violence. At this sad moment in the life of Israel, our thoughts have been encapsulated by this letter from NIF CEO Daniel Sokatch.

We are devastated to learn of the deaths of the three young Israeli kidnapping victims, Naftali Frankel, Gilad Shaer and Eyal Yifrah. They were murdered by extremists determined to shed innocent blood and to perpetuate conflict.

We join with their families and with everyone mourning these three young men. And we ask that every leader, Israeli and Palestinian, take every step necessary to maintain calm and prevent more loss of life. We owe it to the memories of these young men, and to the countless others who have died in this conflict, to do all we can to bring peace and reconciliation and an end to the bloodshed between our two peoples.

The thoughts and hopes of the New Israel Fund Australia Foundation are with the families of the three Israeli teenagers who have been abducted. May they be returned speedily and unharmed into the arms of their loved ones.

We call on those responsible for their abduction to free them immediately. Any attack on civilians is to be deplored.

We hope that the efforts of both the Israeli and Palestinian security services meet with success and bring them home safe and sound.

May those responsible be brought to justice. We express our deepest concern that this terrible episode ends without further violence and harm to civilians, be they Israeli or Palestinian.

In some cases, religious law, social institutions and traditions in Israel have kept girls and women at a disadvantage in schools, in the workplace, in divorce cases, and as victims of violence. Israeli women in minority groups have disproportionately high rates of unemployment, poverty, health problems and abuse of basic rights.

Moreover, in a worrying trend, ultra-Orthodox norms regarding gender segregation have been increasingly spilling over into the public domain, as women and girls are increasingly excluded from public spaces. At the same time, growing public awareness is now mobilising action across the political and social spectrums, engendering new organisations committed to religious freedom and women's rights, and galvanising veteran ones.

These groups, with support from NIF and Shatil, are succeeding in making change.

The New Israel Fund Australia Foundation is a leading organisation committed to social justice, human rights and democracy in Israel. We work with Israelis experiencing poverty, discrimination and injustice to create a more inclusive, tolerant and equal society. Based on the vision of the country’s founders, we work towards an Israel that is “based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel… [and] complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex.”